words: John Hall
photo: Randy Smith
Renowned UK artist Pete Fowler made a big splash in the toy game back in 2001 when his first toys were released in the UK and Japan. I’ve been trying to track him down for Mass Appeal ever since! Maybe I just like monsters, but in an oversaturated market, Pete’s work has always stood out from the crowd. His well-executed and colorful Japanese pop art-influenced style is really on point. For this issue, we finally caught up with him and begged shamelessly until he agreed to answer some questions. It just so happens to coincide nicely with the release of his new “Monsterism 4: Pets and Owners” series available through the good people at StrangeCo, pictured here.
How did you get into designing toys?
I was into toys as a child along with comics and cartoons (typically), but it wasn’t until I started to sculpt during my fine art degree that I thought more three-dimensionally about figures. I saw them more as sculptures and it wasn’t until I became aware of the ‘designer toy’ movement that I started to think in plastic and vinyl. I didn’t plan to make them, although I did have dreams to! The opportunity came about when I was showing my large-scale sculptures in an exhibition in Tokyo with Paul Davis and was approached by Sony Creative Products with an offer of designing a range of toys that was to become Monsterism Volume 1.
Can you explain the central concept behind the Monsterism series?
The idea came about after creating a load of characters over time and thinking about their back-stories and a place for them to inhabit. The place I created was Monsterism Island, inhabited by mutants, monsters and beasts. The Island reflects our own world in many ways but seen through the prism of Monsterism.
Do you have a favorite toy?
I really like James Jarvis’ toys, characters and worlds. I’d have to say my all time fave must be Oyaji from Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro. It’s a giant eyeball on a small body and has a sampler built inside.
Aside from toy design, what other aspects of art are you involved with? And which mediums do you utilize?
I paint with acrylics, though not as much as I used to, as I find that computers have taken over the design and illustration side. I try to show my artwork as much as I can, my last show was at the Artoyz Gallery in Paris last February and included paintings, drawings and modified plastic bird decoys.
I’m just about to start an exhibition in a record store in east London. The show is a first for me as all the painting’s are created in Illustrator and printed onto canvas. Apart from painting, drawing is something that I always do, whatever the project I’m working on—I will always start with a pencil sketch.
Can you run us through some of the highlights of your career?
Working with Super Furry Animals has been a major highpoint and the project that kick-started my career as an illustrator and monster maker. There have been a lot of memorable moments during the time I spent working with them and amongst them are the giant inflatable bears used for outdoor gigs, designing the Phantom Power stage set drawing live at their outdoor gig in Somerset House. I’m currently working on an animation project that I hope will be aired on TV in the not so distant future, I’m extremely lucky to be working with some amazing writers and voice talent that includes some comedy heroes of mine.
Are there any upcoming projects that you’d like to share?
I’ve a show on at Rough Trade’s east London shop which illustrates different bands on the Island. The show runs for six weeks or so from August and includes eight bands never seen before. Also later in the year, I have another large-scale vinyl figure called Van Orlax being released.
